Dear National Hockey League: (R)

[Jeff]

Goodbye, old friend. We may not see you for a couple years, and who knows how many teams will still be around and where they will play. However, that's not what this letter is about. If this is the last we see of you for a while, to say you went out in a blaze of glory with that third period would be a significant understatement. Wow! One of the most exciting, most thrilling periods of hockey I've ever seen. Showed all who watched why hockey is the great game that it is.

National Hockey League, I thank you.

[kwik1980]

More like an exciting 10 or so minutes, but come the end of that game, Calgary was just scrambling too much and it showed. They couldn't get Kiprusoff off the ice to save their lives, and that was an idiotic penalty for Ference to take with a minute left in the season, and down by 1. And Iginla is pretty lucky that he didn't get run off too the way he exploded at the referee.

If Calgary showed up in the first 2 and a half periods it could have been a great game, but if this is the last NHL game for a year or two, I'm not exactly thrilled.

[AndyMead]

I don't know. If baseball can settle it's differences, then there's still hope that the NHL will avoid a lock-out/strike.

[MetroAndAGuinessPlz]

I don't know. If baseball can settle it's differences, then there's still hope that the NHL will avoid a lock-out/strike.

Thing is, there was tremendous pressure put on baseball by the media, public and even government to come to an agreement. If the NHL players strike that same pressure won't be there.

[dfb547490]

Too bad nobody was watching. Even I couldn't watch, the pain of another Philadelphia loss being too much.

Can't wait for the World Cup and for the college season.

[DoyleG]

Thing is, there was tremendous pressure put on baseball by the media, public and even government to come to an agreement. If the NHL players strike that same pressure won't be there.

At least on your side of the border.

[MetroAndAGuinessPlz]

At least on your side of the border.

That's what I meant. And it's not as if there won't be media coverage and pressure from the hockey writers. It's just not going to be on the front page of the papers every morning like the baseball strike was. Everyone make sure to enjoy the World Cup. I just have a bad, bad feeling about all this.

[fatbastard]

If the NHL players strike that same pressure won't be there.Not that I pay a tremendous amount of attention, other than to the Caps and the playoffs, but I haven't heard anything about a players' strike. All I've heard is about a very probable lockout. Those couldn't be more different.

I enjoyed the heck out of that 3rd period last night.

[USAsoccer]

Too bad nobody was watching. .

Game 6 numbers were up 9 percent over last year, and the highest rated game since 1999.....

I'm betting that game 7 will be the highest rated hockey game for ABC since it took over in 1998.

[kwik1980]

For the record, this would be a lockout by management, not a player's strike. If the current CBA expries, the aggreement is to keep going under it's terms. The players have no real reason to strike.